Vancouver Canucks - The Reality of a Team that Couldn't

After trying to build the Canucks after the Wings, which got old really quick when the bigger and more physical teams started winning Stanley Cup’s (Kings, Bruins, Blackhawks), the Canucks are no further ahead, then when they started. While the rest of league caught on, Canucks GM Mike Gillis never adjusted to that play-off makeup and the Canucks are still not built for the play-offs. Not big enough, tough enough or have the right mix of players to withstand the physical play that is demanded.

Alex Edler will never be the Norris Trophy candidate that they need, Sedins are not play-off guys, nor Mason Raymond, or small centres like Derek Roy or Andrew Ebbett. For example, Roy against San Jose’s Thornton is such a mismatch it’s not even funny.

Alex Burrows, as much as he tries, and give him credit for trying, is not the bodyguard the Sedins need in the play-offs. The speed of the game has passed by the Sedins, and with the play-off small ice to operate, they are easy to shut-down. It’s anyone’s guess if Ryan Kesler can make it through the play-offs without getting injured again.

Zack Kassian is still to inconsistent, Nik Jensen is not quite ready yet (two big bodies the Canuck need), and there is no talent on the farm to re-stock. Maybe the best thing to look forward to is if the Sedins will retire after their contract expires after next season. Then maybe the Canucks can add the right mix.

Too bad they never traded Alex Edler this season before his no-trade kicks in. They could have received a very good player and Jason Garrison has quietly become what the Canucks were hoping Edler would be. Garrison is a better offensive, defensive, and more physical player than Edler is right now. He can be that point man the Canucks need on the power-play if they could only get someone to feed him the puck.

As far as not trading Roberto Luongo, if you follow the media, there was a deal in place during the off-season – but Luongo was steadfast in his wish to go to Florida. Mike Gillis says that Luongo’s contact was not a problem. We’ll see in the off-season, when more starting NHL goalies become available at better prices. Yes Roberto – the contract “does suck”.

I don’t want to sound like a pessimist but the reality of the fact is – the Canucks will go out in the first round. Any of the teams they will face, and that includes Detroit, can outscore them and have just as good as goaltending as Vancouver. The bigger, more physical teams will eat them up and spit them out.

It’s time for the Aquilini’s ownership to prove they are big time hockey fans, and give the fan base a new hope – and that starts with firing GM Mike Gillis, Coach Alain Vigneault and his staff at the end of the season. Now is the time to bring in someone who has not been with the team and a number of the players since their days in Manitoba. Someone who can be objective, has no attachment to the players, and can try and add the necessary type of players needed to win in the play-offs.

In the off-season when the cap falls, that will start with buying out the contracts of David Booth ($4.2 million) and unfortunately Keith Ballard ($4.2 million). The sad thing is, Ballard is more versatile an asset than Edler, but the Canucks current management are committed to Edler.

Mason Raymond should have been traded but now is the chance to move on and not resign him, clearing up so more cap space ($2.2 million). Others that will help the cap space by not resigning are Manny Malhotra ($2.5 million), Max Lapierre – $1 million (4th line centres are a dime a dozen) and even Derek Roy ($4 million). By my count those that I have listed account for $17 plus million of clearance. What I’m not privy to is – if the buy-outs will count against the cap.

So at least the fans can thank themselves for not having to have gone through an 82 game schedule just to get knocked out in the first round – and there’s always next year.

Ice Bits – Will Derek Roy help the Canucks for the remainder of the season? Yes. But he’s still not the type of player they need in the physical play of the play-offs.

Don’t get swayed by the 4-0 score over a Oilers team that had just finished four games in six days. Even with Ryan Kesler back in the line-up next week, this team is still a couple of forwards short as I wrote about a couple of months ago.

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